Matthew

"W... what is this?" Puzzled, I raised my hand slightly to meet with the blue screen. Unfortunately, my hand went right through, which left me even more puzzled.

"Did this thing call itself a system?" I said in an audible tone.

However, I didn't linger on such thoughts much longer when I saw the bystander evidently staring at me with a weird look.

A shiver ran down my spine as I quickly made my way inside the car.

Having made my way inside the car, the first thing I did was browse around a bit, and I must say that this car completely blew me away.

For a car that's from 2010, which is a bit over 30 years old, I would admit that it definitely surpassed its time.

And now it respectfully made its way into 2040.

Having delved into my thoughts, I failed to remember that I brought a bicycle.

"Sigh... I guess when you're caught up with other matters you indeed do forget the important things that have been with you throughout life," I said to myself as I fiddled with my hair to avoid the eyes of the public.

With everything being prepared, I then exited the car and went for my bicycle that was a distance away.

With the cash at hand, I would be purchasing a few things, and those things were the seats.

Yes, unfortunately, there were only 2 seats inside the car.

After retrieving my bicycle, I then folded it and placed it on the passenger seat.

And it was at this moment that I had truly considered changing the entire set of seats.

Shaking away my thoughts, I then opened my hand to stare at the key.

Fuuu~

A deep sigh escaped my lips as I brought the key to meet its destination.

Knock! Knock!

"Ahk!"

Unfortunately, my thoughts were shook when I heard a sudden knock on the window, which greatly shocked me.

Clank!

The sound of the key falling sounded.

Anyways, I didn't panic too much after realizing that it was a close friend of mine who I knew quite well.

Bending my back slightly, I then took up the keys before I proceeded to open the door.

....

"Luckily it was just you, Matthew. So, how did everything go? Did you get the Ford you wanted?" I asked, my tone held a sense of familiarity as I looked at the dude who seemed a bit older than his actual age.

The guy standing before was a close friend of mine, or you could indeed say that he was my one and only friend.

Matthew was on the shorter side, and he was a bit chubby, but don't be fooled. If he ever met in a life and death situation, he'd be the fastest person you'd ever know.

Matthew had frizzled brown hair and a pair of brown eyes.

Matthew was also boasting an outfit similar to mine.

"HAHAH, as expected of you, Ethan. Just a moment ago you were panicking like crazy, but now..." Matthew's sentence came to a stop, a smile formed on his face as he swung his arms over my shoulder.

"Forget about me for a second, Ethan, could you please elaborate why you bought a car from over 30 years ago?" A sarcastic smile eventually formed into a frown.

Bringing his face closer to mine, Matthew then applied some pressure to my shoulder.

It was clear the guy wanted some answer, but gosh, is this the way you ask a friend, I guess.

Placing my hand on my lips, I then stared into the sky to avoid Matthew's gaze.

"I don't really know, maybe it's because I saw it and liked it, I guess," I said truthfully.

A sigh escaped Matthew's lips as he walked a solid distance away from me. He then facepalmed himself helplessly.

"Are you an idiot!!! Ethan, did you forget that we'd be heading to the drifting academy in no less than 2 months?" Throughout all this, Matthew's voice was only audible to him and me.

Awkwardly raising my hand, I then scratched my head as I thought of what to actually say.

However, things just got easier with Matthew's next words.

"I'll admit the car indeed looks ahead of its time, but why? Just why? You do know that this thing doesn't pack much power, right?"

A sigh escaped my lips as I visibly shook my head.

Turning to face my Chevrolet Camaro SS 2010, I brought my hands to the beauty that was styled in solid black and white.

"Guess I'll also be needing paint," I thought to myself.

Shifting my attention back to Matthew, I then smiled vaguely.

"Matthew, tell me, why did you purchase a Ford out of all the cars available?"

Hearing my question, Matthew's eyes shot wide open for a split second.

Having thought of my question, Matthew then took the time to think, but after a while, his answer disappointed me more than it should.

"I guess it's because I prefer how fast it runs, I guess."

Yep, and as you would have expected, I sighed helplessly.

Turning to face Matthew, my lips parted slightly as I said.

"Your reasons clearly differ from mine, and I'm not saying this to make you feel bad or anything. It's just that sometimes there are things in life that we may see as old, but there may lie treasures.

And I think that's the reason I chose this car, maybe it's because it has something I've been searching for.

Freedom; has it ever occurred to you how you'd truly feel behind the wheels? Imagine this: you're behind the wheels, and you see an empty road devoid of any signs of life, and it's just you and the car who you'd consider your lifelong partner. Slowly you open the window to catch a breath of air, but in return, you feel unsatisfied, and the only way to enjoy that moment is to go even faster, faster than you've ever been.

Don't you think it'd be fun having a road all to yourself?"

Having heard my words, Matthew gave me a weird look.

His lips then parted slightly as he smiled brightly.

"I guess that even the biggest nerds have a kink for cars, huh."

"Oh, look at the time, let's go, Ethan."

"Eh? Go where?" I asked, finding Matthew's words confusing.

"What do you mean, go where? Did you forget that we have work?"

"Ah! Wait, what time is it?" I asked Matthew, who had been looking at his watch with a pale face.

"It's 10:05, and the boss said we should be there by 10:20."

"Pfft, hahaha," seeing Matthew panic, I couldn't help but laugh.

"W... what are you laughing at?" Matthew said, giving me a weird look.

"Did you forget that the boss gave us the day off?" I replied, wanting to clear up the confusion.

"Just relax, Matthew, there's no need to work, so how about we spend the day chilling?" I suggested. Truth be told, it's been a while since Matthew and I had actually relaxed; most of our time was spent inside the shopping mall. Anyways, now that wasn't really important.

"Uh... I don't think I'll make it, bro. I actually have a race later... Onnnn."

That "later" was quite low, but Ethan managed to have heard it.

"..."

"..."

"Alright then, go do your thing. I'll be heading to the mall, then, I guess," Ethan said aloud.

"Right," Matthew nodded as he glanced at Ethan before walking away. Unfortunately, he stopped halfway through; he turned to face Ethan as his lips parted.

"So, will you be coming?"

"No, I don't think so," Ethan shook his head. If there was anything Ethan would rather avoid, it would be races at the moment. Not like he'd be pushed into racing; after all, unlike Matthew, Ethan could still be considered a baby.

Shaking his head, Matthew then went along his way. However, he also made sure to convey a message to Ethan before he left.

"By the way, I heard that the head of the race would be that chick that sold you that car."

"Whatever, man," I murmured as I went inside the vehicle. The temptation of giving Matthew the reaction he wanted was a thing I've been avoiding these past few days.

*Click!*

A click sounded as I fiddled with the key. Hopping into the car, I then inserted the key into the ignition; I then turned it clockwise, which made the speed monitor light up in a light green and red.

*Vvvv!*

A powerful rumble sounded as the car switched on. Although taken aback by how vicious the car sounded, Ethan didn't pay much attention to it.

As of now, he had three things on his list: food, wheels, and a pair of seats.

A sigh escaped Ethan's lips as he gently brought the car into drive. Yes, he was driving a manual that had up to six gears.

Glancing at the speed monitor, Ethan could guess what he'd be worrying about in the near future. Glancing at the fuel section, Ethan then sighed; the tank was almost empty, and now this made the fourth thing on his list.